Westeros
The 'A Song of Ice and Fire' Domain
GoT
EP407: Mockingbird
Tyrion enlists an unlikely ally. Daario entreats Dany to allow him to do what he does best. Jon’s warnings about the Wall’s vulnerability fall on deaf ears. Brienne follows a new lead on the road with Pod.
Index
Recap
In Tyrion’s cell, Jaime Lannister paces and share angry recriminations with Tyrion regarding the deal he made for Tyrion, the deal to keep Tyrion’s “ungrateful head” on his “ungrateful neck” a while longer. Tyrion will have none of it, wondering what he was supposed to be grateful for—to live and die on the Wall as punishment for a crime he did not commit? Jaime angrily retorts that it’s not a joke, to which Tyrion responds that of course it is, just not a very funny one.
After a moment’s silence, Tyrion explains he couldn’t sit there and listen to Shae’s lies any longer. Jaime looks on his brother, and states that Tyrion fell in love with a whore. Tyrion admits it, and that he was stupid enough to think she felt the same way. Then Tyrion changes the subject, explaining how Jaime gave Tywin everything he could have wanted with his deal. After a pause, Tyrion explains that it felt good to take away the neat solution for Tywin. He complains that Tywin is prepared to sacrifice Tyrion for his convenience, despite knowing he’s innocent. Jaime tries to argue that Tywin would sacrifice any of them, but Tyrion dismissives that for the foolishness that it is—Tywin would never sacrifice Jaime, the golden son, who can do anything he wants (including bedding his own sister) and Tywin will not change.
Jaime warns his brother away from such talk, noting he’s the last friend Tyrion has. Tyrion falls silent, and then says he was glad that he told the court what he really thought of them. Jaime is not unimpressed, saying he thought Tyrion was a realist rather than the sort who’d die for his pride. Tyrion tells Jaime not to give up on him, as he survived one trial by combat even without Jaime’s help. Jaime tells Tyrion not to count on him—his training has proved that he is woefully unskilled with his left hand.
Tyrion makes a morbid joke of it, telling Jaime to imagine the look on Tywin’s face when Jaime dies: “Our family name snuffed out with a single swing of the sword.” Jaime suggests it’s tempting. Then Tyrion supposes Bronn will fight for him, but he’ll be in debt to him for the rest of his life when he wins. “If he wins,” Jaime notes. Tyrion asks Jaime to approach Bronn for him, and then asks who Cersei has named champion. He hopes it’s Meryn Trant, but Jaime informs him it isn’t Ser Meryn.
In a courtyard, a group of dirty, ragged men are held by gold cloaks as a shirtless Ser Gregor Clegane impales one of them and lifts his body clear over his head before tossing it aside. Cersei watches from the walls. Another pair of men are sent forward to where a pile of weapons are left on the ground. They take them up and one attacks, only to be disembowelled immediately. The other drops his weapon and begs for mercy, only for Ser Gregor to cut him down, and then bring his greatsword down several more times.
Cersei approaches, casually walking over the blood and guts and corpses. She addresses Ser Gregor, thanking him for coming to King’s Landing at her summons. The Mountain, blood spattered across his chest, asks who he’ll be fighting. Cersei asks if it matters, and Clegane shakes his head.
The Hound and Arya are riding when they come across a burnt-out hut. The Hound suggests there may be food to take, while Arya says there may be soldiers instead. What they find is a dying man, supine on the ground, holding his belly. Arya tells him he shouldn’t be sitting out here, but he replies wearily that there’s nowhere else to sit; he tried to walk back to his hut, but it hurt too much and he then remembered it was burned. The Hound asks who did it, and he replies that he doesn’t know, though they’d been raiding in the area for weeks.
As the Hound looks at the dying man’s wound, he shakes his head and says it won’t get better. Clegane asks if he’s had enough, and the villager for asks, “Of what?” Under Clegane’s stare, he admits he understands: yes, he’s had enough of suffering, but he hesitates. Arya doesn’t understand why he’s going on. The villager replies that it’s habit. “Nothing can be worse than this,” Arya replies. The man suggests nothing might be worse than dying.
Arya is disbelieving. She argues that nothing is nothing. He agrees, but is sad such a young girl believes such a thing. She asks who she is. Arya and Sandor exchange a look, and then she names herself as Arya Stark, but it means nothing to the villager. He looks to the Hound and asks if he’s her father, and Clegane admits he’s her captor taking her to her aunt to be ransomed. The villager supposes that’s a fair exchange, a concept he always believed in, a balance between one thing and another. But there’s no balance anymore, he remarks, and then groans from pain. He asks for a drink, as “dying is thirsty work” and the Hound gives him water; when the man wishes it were wine, the Hound concurs.
And then the Hound thrusts his dagger into the man’s heart. It’s quick and sudden, and the villager looks up to the Hound as his life comes to an end. He offers a weak nod of thanks, which the Hound returns. After a moment, Sandor points out that that’s where the heart is. Arya nods. They both look at the man…
.... when suddenly a man leaps up onto Sandor’s back, snarling like a beast. The Hound screams in pain and then suddenly grabs his head and twists it until it snaps. The body falls, and we see it’s Biter, the feral prisoner Arya rescued when the Lannisters attacked Yoren’s party. The Hound growls in pain, hands up at his neck when he turns and sees Rorge—Biter’s boon companion—with a sword drawn, watching dumbfounded. “The fuck you doing?!” the Hound shouts, and Rorge replies that there’s a price on Sandor’s head,
Sandor supposes he should have expected it, after having told Joffrey to fuck off. Rorge informs him that Joffrey’s dead, poisoned at his own wedding. Arya and the Hound exchange a look, but Rorge goes on to say that the bounty is for killing Lannister soldiers, a bounty worth 100 silver stags. The Hound sarcastically responds that Rorge thought he was going to collect it. Then Arya speaks up, identifying Rorge as Yoren’s former prisoner. She tells the Hound that he threatend to “fuck [her] bloody with a stick.”
Clegane asks if he’s on her list and she says no, as she doesn’t know his name. The Hound asks the thug his name, and he gives it. Arya thanks him—then neatly thrusts Needle straight through his heart. He falls dead, and the Hound tells Arya that she’s learning before walking away. She wipes Needle clean on his corpse, and follows Sandor.
At Castle Black, a horn sounds noting the return of rnagers. Jon leads Grenn, Edd, and the other survivor from the expedition against Craster’s Keep. Samwell greets Jon joyfully, embracing him, as other watchmen come up to welcome them back and congratulate them on their return. As Jon is greeted by Olly, Ser Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt walk out. “Lord Snow,” Alliser calls, addressing Jon. The men fall silent, as Thorne tells Jon that the castle is not a place for a wild beast. He commands him to lock him away or he’ll have the cook Hobb include him in the stew. After a sullen look, Jon walks away and calls for the direwolf, who follows him.
Later, in the mess hall, Thorne and the other officers it at the high table while Jon informs them that the wildlings are getting closer—they could see their campfires in the distance as they left Craster’s Keep—and will be at the Wall before the next full moon. Slynt, unpleasant as always, is surprised that Jon didn’t ride over to say hellow to his “old friend”, Mance Rayder. Jon ignores the jibe and tries to tell them that they need to prepare, but Thorne notes they have been doing so. Then Jon explains the sort of preparation he needs: they need to seal the tunnel through the Wall.
The men of the Watch murmur at that, but Jon persists. When Thorne asks how they’ll range beyond the Wall then, Jon replies that they won’t. A few shout angrily at that, calling Jon a coward. Grenn speaks up when Thorne questions Jon, telling him that they can’t defend the gate from a hundred thousand men, but Thorne insists that that in thousands of years the Watch has never sealed the tunnel. Then Jon asks if Thorne has ever seen a giant. When Thorne remains silent, Jon explains that the tunnel won’t stop the giants. Thorne insists that the bars of those gate are four inch thick steel, and Jon agreees that they are… but they still won’t stop them.
Then Thorne asks what order Jon belongs to. After a moment’s silence, Jon grudgingly admits he belongs to the stewards. Thorne points out that it’s the builders whoare responsible for the tunnel, and then turns to First Builder Yarywck to question him whether he agrees with Jon Snow. Yarwyck, uncomfortable, looks between Jon and Thorne and then finally says, “No.”
And with that, Thorne mockingly suggests Jon can take his “deep knowledge of the wildling army” and join Samwell Tarly in being on night duty atop the Wall until the full moon. Some men laugh at that, as Thorne smiles unkindly. Jon’s about to speak with Samwell restrains him and makes him sit. Then Thorne turns to other business concerning taking a hundred barrels of pitch to the top of the Wall.
In King’s Landing, a visitor approaches Tyrion’s cell. Tyrion looks out through the window at whoever is passing by to his door, but can’t identify them from their clothing—some nobleman, he must suppose. But then the door opens, and Bronn enters, richly dressed. Bronn offers the Imp a courtier’s bow, and Tyrion remarks—with defeat in his voice—that Bronn has new clothes. Bronn flourishes his cape, showing off, and notes the gloves he had are “soft as a virgin’s thighs.”
Ignoring that, Tyrion points out he had sent for Bronn days ago. Bronn paces away and then turns to lean on a wooden pillar as he replies that his “lonesome bachelor days” are done, as he’s he’s been busy getting himself betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth who he’ll wed the day after next. Tyrion remarks that she doesn’t seem like Bronn’s sort of girl, and the former sellsword thinks he doesn’t have a single sort of girl. Tyrion points out Lollys is slow of wits, and Bronn rejoinders that if he wanted wits he’d marry Tyrion.
Then Tyrion states the obvious: when Cersei arranged this “love match”, did she mention to Bronn that Lollys has an older sister? He struggles to recall her name, and Bronn supplies it: Falyse. But Tyrion attempting to undermine Cersei’s efforts won’t work, as Bronn notes she’s forty and barren, and if she dies before her lord father Lollys will get the castle. Tyrion stares at Bronn, shocked, and Bronn casually offers that ladies fall from their horses and snap their necks all the time.
Disgusted, Tyrion replies that he and Cersei deserve each other. Then he asks why Bronn showed up. Bronn sits himself down on Tyrion’s cot and reminds him that Tyrion once said that he’d double the price of anyone who tried to buy him. “Is it two wives you want, or two castles?” Tyrion asks. Bronn says one of each will do… but it’d better be a very big castle if he wants him to kill the Mountain. Tyrion’s forced to admit that he hasn’t any castles, but he can offer gold and gratitude. Unfortunately, Bronn has gold, and he doesn’t know what gratitude can buy.
At that Tyrion says that he might be surprised, as Lannisters pay their debts… but alas, Bronn says Cersei is a Lannister too. Tyrion argues, however, that his wife is heir to Winterfell and that one day he may rule the North in her name if he survives this trial At that time, he could carve out a big piece of it for Bronn. “If and may and could,” Bronn responds, rejecting possibilities. It’s cold in the North, while Lollys is soft and warm and close. Tyrion starts to look desperate.
Bronn goes on say, suggesting that if Tyrion had the choice of fighting the Mountain or bedding Lollys, he’d have his breeches down before Bronn could blink. Tyrion wonders if Bronn’s so frightened by Gregor Clegane, and the former sellsword says he’d be a fool not to be frightened. Clegane’s “freakish big and freakish strong”, he notes, and faster than you’d expect for such a big man. As Tyrion stares, Bronn admits that maybe he could kill him, keeping his distance, tiring Clegane out until he can barely lift his sword and then get him off his feet somehow. But with a snap of his fingers to punctuate the point, he adds that one single misstep and he’s dead, just like that.
Bronn asks why he should risk it, and Tyrion responds with the final argument he has, “Because you’re my friend.” Bronn admits it… and then asks when Bronn’s ever risked his own life for Bronn? Tyrion has no answer. Bronn finally admits he likes Tyrion, but he likes himself more. Tyrion gives up, and nods his understanding. Bronn adds that he’s sorry that it has to end this way. Tyrion mordantly observes that he shouldn’t be sorry: Bronn being “an evil bastard with no consciecne and no heart” is what he liked about Bronn in the first place.
Tyrion offers his hand to Bronn then, not quite looking at him. Bronn says they’ve had some good days together, and Tyrion admits they did. But his grip on Bronn’s hand refuses to loosen, a sign of his terror of not having convinced Bronn to fight for him. Bronn pats Tyrion’s arm and pulls away, then bangs on the door to call for a guard. He asks Tyrion what he’ll do… and Tyrion replies that he’ll just have to kill the Mountain himself. “Won’t that make for a great song?” Bronn stares at Tyrion as a guard opens the door, and then says, “I hope to hear it someday.” A last bow, and he’s gone, leaving Tyrion alone in his cell.
At night, in the great pyramid of Meereen, Daenerys enters her chambers after a long day. She pauses as she turns the corner, then looks to the door before looking back: Daario Naharis is waiting for her, holding a bouquet of flowers. She asks how he got in there. He explains that the door’s well guarded, but the window is not. Exasperated, Daenerys goes into the room when he hands her the flowers. He explains he swam to an island a mile offshore to fetch them, but Daenerys shoves them back at him and tells him not to do that again.
Moving past him, she sets down something she was carrying on a table. He remarks that he’s never met a woman who doesn’t like wildflowers, but she retorts that these are her private quarters and that if she had wanted him there, she’d summon him. Daario turns to her to kneel down and ask forgiveness, saying that he lives to serve her. Daenerys sits upon a couch and regards him. She asks why he’s really present.
He admits he wanted to ask a favor of her. He indicates he has only two talents in the world: war and women. He calls her decision to rule in Meereen wise, and he respects it… but it means he can’t pursue his talents. Daenerys points out that she ordered the Second Sons to patrol the city and stop revenge killings. Daario interjects that he’s ordered them to become night’s watchmen, but Daenerys presses on and notes that when it comes to women… there are thousand in the city that Daario can pursue.
“There’s only one,” Daario replies, but she doesn’t want him. Daenerys regards him a moment, and then says he swore his sword to her. He stands by it, that it’s hers until the day he dies, and he confirms that he’ll stay in the city and patrol the streets when she asks what would happen if she ordered it. But he adds that he’d rather be sent to kill Daenerys’s her enemies—any enemy, anywhere—and let him do what he does best.
Daenerys stands then, and pours a cup of wine for herself. She tells him to do what he does best, as she sits back down, looking at him. She orders him to take off his clothes. Daario looks at her for a long moment, then smiles. Setting aside the flowers, he undresses slowly before her, as she watches shamelessly.
In Dragonstone, Selyse Baratheon enters Melisandre’s chambers only to stop at the door, finding Melisandre in her bath. She hesitates, until Melisandre invites her in. Selyse insists she didn’t mean to disturb Melisandre, and Melisandre says that her queen could never disturb her. Selyse presses on, saying she wished to speak to the priestess before they left Dragonstone. Melisandre looks over to a shelf and asks the queen to bring her a blue vial. Selyse does so, hesitantly, reaching for one…
Melisandre warns her away from it, telling her she wouldn’t even want to touch that one. She indicates more precisely, and Selyse grabs it and brings it to her. The priestess opens it and pours a few drops into the water, breathing deeply. Selyse looks to the brazier that burns to one side, and Melisandre then says that when she looked into the flames in the morning, the Lord of Light spoke to her. Selyse’s looks shows her eager to know what he said, and Melisandre states that he told her that tonight would be the last good bath she’d have in a long while.
She smiles, while Selyse seems ... not impressed. Melisandre admits it was a joke, but not a very good one. Selyse admits it was, but then says humor isn’t her strength. Melisandre believes that’s because most jokes are lies, and Selyse is devoted to the truth. The queen asks whether it’d be best to avoid them, if they’re lies, but Melisandre says not always. Then she rises naked out of her bath, and Selyse seems embarassed, looking sidelong at her.
Melisandre walks out toward the shelves and gestures to the powders and potions, telling her that most of them are lies, “deceptions to make men think they witnessed our Lord’s power.” She explains that once they’ve walked into the light of his worship, they’ll see it for what it was: a trick that led them to the truth. She notes how a pinch of one powder into a fire will send a column of flame up into the sky, how another creates a black smoke that terrifies even the bravest man, and a drop of one potion into a man’s wine will drive them wild with lust.
When she says that, Selyse’s gaze takes in Melisandre in her naked beauty, and asks if she used it on Stannis. “No,” Melisandre replies as she seals a bottle. Selyse looks crestfallen, and Melisandre understands. She approaches her, telling her not to be upset, that men never crave what they already have. “It’s only flesh,” she tells the queen as she cups her cheek. “It needs what it needs”.
Selyse stares at Melisandre, and then the priestess passes her by to put on a robe. Selyse says that no act done in service of the Lord of Light can be considered a sin, saying she thanks the god every day for bringing Melisandre to them, and Stannis to Melisandre. She turns and adds that Stannis wants to take Shireen with them when they leave Dragonstone. Shireen says that she doesn’t think it’s wise, that Shireen has “heretical tendencies”. She doesn’t know if Shireen’s doubts are real or simply to spite her mother, but Selyse believes Shireen should stay on Dragonstone.
Melisandre goes to her, taking her hands, and tells her she understands her feelings… but it’s impossible. Selyse is shocked to hear it and questions it. Melisandre explains that Selyse needs no powders, potions, or lies. She’s strong enough to look into the Lord’s light herself. She takes her to the brazier, to stare into the flames as she tells her that however harsh or hard to understand it is, Selyse doesn’t need her help… but Melisandre will need the queen’s help soon. She informs her that when they set sail, Shireen must be with them. “The Lord needs her,” she says.
The morning sun is in the sky in Meereen when a half-dressed Daario walks down the hall otuside of Daenerys’s chamber. He comes face to face with Ser Jorah Mormont. Mormont stares at him, and Naharis asks if he’s come to see the queen. Mormont remains silent, staring at him, so Naharis steps around him and pats him on the back as he tells him, “She’s in a good mood.” Mormont stares at Daenerys’s door, then the retreating figure of the sellsword, thoughtful.
In the chamber, Daenerys stands over a table, looking down at a map of Slaver’s Bay. She’s dressed in a new gown. Jorah enters and declares his presence. Daenerys remarks he’s there early, and he replies, “Later than some.” Daenerys knows his meaning. As he climbs the steps up to her, she states, “You don’t approve.” He replies it’s not a matter of approval, but one of trust. Daenerys responds defensively, saying he neither approves nor trusts.
Jorah explains that there’s no way he could, since Daario’s a sellsword. Daenerys fires back, asking if Jorah wasn’t a member of the Golden Company before he pledged his sword to Viserys. Ser Jorah admits it, and she then says that she trusts him. But Mormont notes Naharis killed the captains of the Second Sons, dumping their heads at her feet when he grew tired of following their orders. He asks how she could have faith in such a man.
As she rounds the table, finger brushing its edge, she has a simple retort: she can never have faith in a man like Daario Naharis. Ser Jorah looks at her, and nods, recognizing that she’s aware of the danger. But then she goes on and informs him that he’s commanded Daario to take the Second Sons to Yunkai. Jorah’s surprised. But then he notes that without Daenerys’s presence in Yunkai to rule it afterward, the Yunkish Masters will simply bide their time, waiting for the Second Sons to leave before reasserting control. That’s when Daenerys informs him of something else she ordered Daario to do: he’s to execute all the Masters he can find.
Mormont’s stunned, but Daenerys continues, talking of the various cruelties that the Masters have performed on their slaves to justify such extremes. “They treat men like beats, as you said yourself,” she finishes. Jorah argues that herding the Masters into pens and slaughtering them in the thouands is also treating men like beasts. He urges her to set an example for the slaves she freed, to eschew the brutality that was visited on them by the Masters.
Crossing her arms at his words, disbelieving his argument, she wonders if he means her to repay the Masters with kindness, fines, or stern warnings. Ser Jorah replies that it’s tempting to see enemies as evil, but there’s good and evil on all sides, in every war. Daenerys retorts that the priests can argue about good and evil. Slavery is real, and she will end it.
Jorah rounds the table, coming closer to her. “I sold men into slavery, khalessi,” he tells her. At that Daenerys goes up to him, putting a hand on his arm and telling him that now he’s helping her to show slaves their freedom. Jorah points out, however, that he wouldn’t be there to help her if Ned Stark had done to him what she wants to do to the Masters of Yunkai. Daenerys is left silent, considering that fact.
Then she asks about the man who came to her, asking about the burial of his father. Jorah replies his name is Hizdahr zo Loraq. Daenerys decides that he will accompany the Second Sons as an ambassador, to inform the Masters of what Daenerys has done in conquering Meereen and will explain that they have a choice. “They can live in my new world,” she says, “or they can die in their old one.”
Jorah’s pleased by her willingness to change her mind. She tells him to catch Daario before he leaves and inform him that she’s changed her mind. Jorah nods and starts to leave, and then on further consideration Daenerys tells him no. “Tell him you changed my mind,” she finishes. Jorah nods, and departs.
With their horses at pasture, Arya and Sandor Clegane sit by a bonfire. Arya cleans Needle, while the Hound curses repeatedly as he tries to sew up the wound on his neck and shoulder that Biter gave him. Arya tells him he’s doing it wrong, that he needs to burn away the worst of the flesh because otherwise it’ll become infested and fester. The Hound looks at it, and again resumes trying to stitch it closed. Arya says she knows he doesn’t like fire, and tries to say more but he insists no fire. She puts Needle aside and pushes off, moving to the bonfire to grab a burning piecing of wood, telling him it’ll only take a second.
“No fire!” Clegane roars, standing and back pedalling from her. They stare at one another, and then Arya turns and goes back to her place, dropping the burning wood. The Hound tells her to shut up about it, about everything. “Thanks to you I’m a walking bag of silver anywhere the Lannister’s hold sway,” he tells her angrily, and that’s everywhere between where they are and where they’re going. He tells her he’s as stupid as “that hog”, Rorge, that she stabbed in the village. He sits, complaining about being stabbed, cut, and bitten because of her, that no reward is worth so much trouble. Arya just continues cleaning the blade, until he adds that he wishes he’d never laid eyes on her; she looks at him then.
After a moment, the Hound says she claims her brother gave her the sword. She looks at him, silent, when he then points out that his brother gave him the scars on his face. He goes on to explain that it was just as Arya said: Gregor pressed him to the fire like he was a mutton chop, holding his face as it burned. Arya asks why, and the Hound—still outraged over all these years—says hit was because Gregor thought he stole of his toys, and quickly says he didnt’ steal it, he just wanted to play with it.”
After a moment’s more silence, he explains the pain was bad, but the smell was worse. He adds, however, that the worse thing was that it was his own brother that did it. He explains his father protected Gregor, telling everyone that the Hound’s bedding caught fire. “You think you’re on your own?” the Hound says, turning to look at her. Arya finally offers to at least wash the wound out and sew it up. She pours water over the wound, and then takes up the needle.
In an inn, a servant places a pie on a table as Brienne tells Podrick that they can treat themselves to a bit of comfort after having slept in ditches the last few weeks. She tells Podrick they’ll have feather beds for the night, and a hot meal not cooked by Podrick. Pod couldn’t agree more. As she tucks into the pie, Brienne adds that he shouldn’t hope for silk underclothes, however; he’s not working for his former lord any longer. As the servant who brought the pie now pours a drink for Brienne, Brienne reaches out and takes the cup Podrick is drinking from, warning him not to get drunk.
When the servant’s done pouring, he asks if he can get them anything else and Brienne thanks him, saying the kidney pie is wonderful. The servant thanks her, and we see that it’s Hot Pie, last seen in this very inn when the brotherhood without banners left him there. Hot Pie explains he does his best, and then to their surprise takes up a bench and joins them at the table to explain what it takes to make a good kidney pie. The two look at one another, and resume eating, as Hot Pie chatters on.
The two hope that silence will lead him to go away, but no such luck. Hot Pie notices Brienne’s armor and compliments it, then asks if she’s a knight. She stops eating a moment and then, staring at him, says no. Hot Pie says, “Oh.” Then he adds that people with armor are usually knights. He does suppose they’re from King’s Landing, however; he’s from Flea Bottom himself, born and bred. He wonders why they’re there, and Brienne responds that they’re looking for someone. Hot Pie wonders if they’re looking for someone in particular, because he might be able to help. He starts to say that many people stop by the inn, and that just the other day—
Brienne cuts him off, rattling out a curt description of Sansa Stark. Hot Pie stares at her, and then asks, “Starks? Like them lot from Winterhell?” They stare at him, and then he stands up and says that he heard they were traitors, and they want no traitors at the inn. He starts to leave when Brienne says that she swore her life to Catelyn Stark, and that she swore she’d bring her mothers home. Hot Pie considers that, and then asks if they want more kidney pie.
Leaving the inn, Podrick joins Brienne as she saddles her horse. Brienne looks at Podrick’s demeanor, and asks what it is. He explains he doesn’t want to offend—she replies he’s not interesting enough to be offensive—and he then says that the Lannisters want Lady Sansa, that the Lannisters have money, and that people will kill for money. He concludes that they should not be so free with telling people that they’re looking for Sansa.
Just then, Hot Pie exits the inn with a wrapped bundle in hand. He calls their attention and explains that Brienne looks like a proper lady who can be trusted. There’s a hesitation, and then he expalins that he’s never met Sansa Stark, but he did know her sister, Arya. Brienne and Podrick are both flummoxed. Brienne points out that no one has seen Arya since her father was executed, and is presumed dead. Hot Pie replies that she was alive when he saw her last, heading up north to the Wall while dressed up as a boy and calling herself Arry.
Brienne asks what happened to her, and Hot Pie begins to launch into the whole story when Brienne calls for the quick version. Hot Pie briefly sketches out the way they were taken prisoner by the Lannisters, then the brotherhood, the latter of which who “sold” him to the innkeep and planned to sell Arya to Lady Catelyn at Riverrun. He adds they had another prisoner, a big ugly man with a foul mouth and a face like a “half-burnt ham”. Podrick identifies the Hound from the description.
Hot Pie then asks them to give her a gift from him, if they find Arya. He hands the bundle over, and Brienne unwraps it, revealing a very well-made piece of bread shaped like a wolf; it’s far better than the one he gave to Arya months previously. Hot Pie says she liked the last one, and this one’s better. He then leaves.
Brienne gives Podrick a look, and says, “You were saying?” Later, they walk down the road and Brienne considers the news. With Robb and Catelyn dead, and Walder Frey the new lord of Riverrun, the brotherhood would have to take Arya somewhere else if they hoped to profit. Podrick speculates that they’d take her to the Eyrie. When Brienne wonders why, Pod points out that Sansa’s only living relative with any money, Lysa Arryn, lives there. He notes Lord Tyrion made sure that Podrick learned about marriages between notable houses, and who were enemies and who were friends.
Brienne considers that, and then muses that Sansa might be there too. Podrick admits that it’s possible. Coming to a fork in the road, Brienne asks Podrick if he’s sure or not. She looks at him… and then takes the road to the right, heading towards the Vale.
A door opens in Tyrion’s cell, and Oberyn Martell enters carrying a torch. Tyrion remarks that he’d have thought Oberyn would be at the brothel at this hour. Oberyn approaches and notes that he did spend some time with a “stunning blond” the other day. Tyrion asks him to tell, as there’s all kinds of filth in his cell except the kind he likes. “Your sister,” Oberyn explains, setting the torch in a sconce. Tyrion sighs at that. Oberyn then pulls a bench from the wall and sits.
He points out that the queen approached him, speaking a great deal about her daughter and was trying very hard to pretend she hadn’t approached him to sway him against Tyrion. He thinks she might even believe it. Tyrion responds wearily, that one of Cersei’s gifts is making honest feelings do dishonest work. Oberyn goes on to say that it’s “rare to meet a Lannister who shares my enthusiasm for dead Lannisters.” When he notes that she desperately wants Tyrion dead, Tyrion replies that Tyrion seems to have arranged that very well for himself. He finishes by saying that Cersei’s wanted it for a long time.
The prince replies that he knows, that he and Oberyn met many years ago. Tyrion does not remember it, but Oberyn replies that Tyrion had just been born. He states that his father had brought him and Elia to Casterly Rock. He goes on to say that he did not like anything about it—the food, the women, the weather, the accents—but that Tyrion was the biggest disappointment. All the way to Casterly Rock, they heard tales of the monster that had been born to Tywin Lannister, a monster with a huge head, a tail, claws, a red eye, and the private parts of both a girl and a boy.
Tyrion quips that that last would have made things so much easier. Oberyn explains that when they met Cersei, she promised she’d show Tyrion to them. “Soon,” she’d say whenever they asked. Finally, one day, she and Jaime took her to the nursery. Dramatically, he mimes her unveiling “the freak”. And Oberyn explains their disappointment, because Tyrion’s head was only a little too large, his arms and legs only a little too short, no claws, no red eye, no tail (“Just a tiny pink cock”). They did not hide their disappointment, either, as Oberyn told Cersei that it was no monster, just a baby.
Cersei replied that Tyrion killed her mother, and proceeded to pinch Tyrion’s penis so hard that Oberyn thought she would pull it off until Jaime made her stop. Telling them it didn’t matter, that everyone said Tyrion would die soon and that he shouldn’t have lived as long as he had. Learning this hurts, and Tyrion’s emotional when he finally speaks. “Sooner or later, Cersei always gets what she wants.”
A silence, and then Prince Oberyn asks, “But what about what I want? Justice for my sister and her children?” Tyrion, still shaken by the tale Oberyn told, tells him that if he wants justice he’s come to the wrong place. Oberyn stands up, packing back to where he left his torch, and then turns. Oberyn disagrees, however: he’s come to perfect place; he wants to bring those who’ve wronged him to justice, and all those who have wronged him are in King’s Landing. He will begin with Ser Gregor Clegane, who killed Elia’s children and raped her before killing her as well.
He takes the torch in hand, and tells Tyrion that he will be his champion. Tyrion is overwhelmed by this.
The garden of the Eyrie is dusted with snow, as flakes of snow fall from the sky. Sansa steps out into it, and gasps in wonder… and perhaps, a little, in memory of Winterfell. When we see her next, she is trying to finish a snow castle made after Winterfell. Robin Arryn enters and Sansa greets him. The young Lord of the Eyrie asks what she’s doing, and she explains she’s building her home, Winterfell. Or, at least, she thinks she is—it’s been so long that she isn’t sure she remembers all of it. When Robin asks why she left, she responds that it’s a long story. Robin considers that and then informs her he stays at the Eyrie. His Mother tells him it’s dangerous everywhere else, and because he’s Lord of the Vale he’s very important.
Sansa smiles and nods her head in agreement, as she uses a stick to shape the snow. When Robin asks when Sansa will go back to Winterfell, she says she likely never will—her family isn’t there any longer, and someone burned the castle. Robin stares at the castle a bit longer, and then asks if Winterfell has a Moon Door. Sansa notes that Winterfell is down on the ground, not in the mountains. Robin thinks that dangerous, and then asks how they make people fly, to punish the bad people, the scary people, and those you don’t like. Sansa replies that they don’t make them fly, but she was never took part in dealing punishments, it wasn’t something girls did at Winterfell.
She’s thoughtful after she says it, but Robin presses on saying that when he’s in his majority, he’ll properly be able to make anyone who bothers him fly. And then he eagerly adds that she could do it, too, when they marry; she can tell him she doesn’t like someone, and they can make him fly. Sansa considers that, and then says she likes the sound of it. Robin proposes placing a Moon Door in her Winterfell snow castle, and she agrees. He picks out the tallest tower and starts to point it out… but in his eagerness, and clumsiness, his gesture knocks it half over just as Sansa tries to warn him to be careful.
An annoyed Sansa tells him he ruined it, and she’ll have to redo it all over again. Robin stands, and Sansa follows. Robin protests that it was already ruined since it didn’t have a Moon Door. The argument escalates, as Robin shouts he didn’t ruin it and Sansa says he’s being stupid. One last scream of, “I didn’t ruin it!” and Robin begins to furiously kick at the snow castle. He looks at her, then gives it one last stomp. A moment after, Sansa slaps him full across the face. Robin is shocked, and runs away. Sansa tries to call to him, tries to apologize, but he’s gone.
Then a voice speaks: “Children.” Sansa turns, surprised, and sees Littlefinger approaching down some steps. Sansa notes she hit him, and he admits he saw it. Shaken, Sansa says she shouldn’t have done it. “No. His mother should have, a long time ago,” he replies. He suggests she consider it a step in the right direction. He then reassures her that he’ll take care of Lysa if he tells his mother.
She stares down at the ruined snow castle, and then sadly says she had tried to remember what it looked like. She’ll never see it again, she supposes. Baelish tells her that much can happen between “now and never”. He comes closer and informs her that to build a better home, you must demolish the old one. Sansa suddenly asks why he really killed Joffrey. The real reason. Littlefinger is silent a moment, and then answers that he loved her mother more than she can know. “Given the opportunity, what do we do to those who hurt the ones we love?” he asks. Sansa stares silently at him, and then a faint smile appears on her lips.
Littlefinger takes a step closer, and tells her that in a better world—one where love was stronger than duty and power—Sansa might have been his child. But they don’t live in that world, he says. He stares at her, and then looks down. He takes a few strands of her hair in hand, eyeing it. He tells her she’s more beautiful than Catelyn ever was. Sansa starts to speak, saying, “Lord Baelish.” “Call me Petyr,” he replies, and taking her face in his hands he kisses her full on the lips. As the camera glides up, we see that Lysa Arryn is watching from a balcony.
Later that day, Sansa enters the high hall of the Eyrie with trepidation—there are no guards, servants, or attendants on hand. Just her… and Lysa, who stands by the open Moon Door. Lysa calls Sansa over. They look down, and Lysa asks if Sansa knows how far down it is to the valley floor. Sansa says she doesn’t, and Lysa admits she doesn’t know precisely either, but it must be hundreds of feet. Then she describes what happens to bodies that hit the rocks from, how the impact rips their bodies apart but that sometimes a body part remains intact—a head could be off somewhere at a distance, “every hair in place, blue eyes staring at nothing.”
Sansa—whose eyes are blue—looks down. After a long silence, Lysa—without looking at her says she knows what she did. Sansa is immediately apologetic for having hit Robin, starts to promise that she’ll never do it again. But Lysa rounds on her and in a raised voice tells Sansa not to be coy with her, and calls her “little whore”. And then she accuses her of a far graver matter: “You kissed him. You kissed Petyr.” Sansa tries to deny that she chose to kiss him when Lysa grabs her wrists with furious strength and tells her that she saw it with her own eyes. Sansa, frightened, tries to tell her that Petyr kissed her and she tried to pull away.
But Lysa won’t hear it. Screaming that she’s a liar and whore, she grabs Sansa by the hair and pulls her down, leaning over the Moon Door. Sansa is terrified, begging, as Lysa insists that Petyr is hers. She rants about how her father, husband, and sister stood between them, and now they’re dead. “That’s what happens to people who stand between Petyr and me!” she raves. She starts to scream hysterically, telling Sansa to look down again and again.
Then Petyr calls, “Lysa!” Standing at the door, he tells her to let Sansa go, but Lysa is hysterical. She demands to know if he wants Sansa, “this empty-headed child.” Lysa says she’s just like her mother and will never love Petyr. “I’ve lied for you, I’ve killed for you,” Lysa insists, and demands to know why Petyr brought Sansa. Littlefinger swears on his life that he’ll send Sansa away if she’ll let Sansa go.
Lysa breaks down weeping, and pushes Sansa aside. Sansa falls to the floor, while Lysa sobs on the edge of the Moon Door. Littlefinger goes to her, reassuring her, calling her his silly, sweet wife He helps her to her feet. “I have loved only one woman,” he reassures Lysa, and her sobs still, and she smiles with happiness.
“Your sister,” he says. Her expression falls… and so does she, because with a short, sharp shove he sends her plummeting through the Moon Door. Her screams can be heard growing fainter and fainter… and then there’s simply a small bloom of dark red far below on the valley floor.
Recap
In Tyrion’s cell, Jaime Lannister paces and share angry recriminations with Tyrion regarding the deal he made for Tyrion, the deal to keep Tyrion’s “ungrateful head” on his “ungrateful neck” a while longer. Tyrion will have none of it, wondering what he was supposed to be grateful for—to live and die on the Wall as punishment for a crime he did not commit? Jaime angrily retorts that it’s not a joke, to which Tyrion responds that of course it is, just not a very funny one.
After a moment’s silence, Tyrion explains he couldn’t sit there and listen to Shae’s lies any longer. Jaime looks on his brother, and states that Tyrion fell in love with a whore. Tyrion admits it, and that he was stupid enough to think she felt the same way. Then Tyrion changes the subject, explaining how Jaime gave Tywin everything he could have wanted with his deal. After a pause, Tyrion explains that it felt good to take away the neat solution for Tywin. He complains that Tywin is prepared to sacrifice Tyrion for his convenience, despite knowing he’s innocent. Jaime tries to argue that Tywin would sacrifice any of them, but Tyrion dismissives that for the foolishness that it is—Tywin would never sacrifice Jaime, the golden son, who can do anything he wants (including bedding his own sister) and Tywin will not change.
Jaime warns his brother away from such talk, noting he’s the last friend Tyrion has. Tyrion falls silent, and then says he was glad that he told the court what he really thought of them. Jaime is not unimpressed, saying he thought Tyrion was a realist rather than the sort who’d die for his pride. Tyrion tells Jaime not to give up on him, as he survived one trial by combat even without Jaime’s help. Jaime tells Tyrion not to count on him—his training has proved that he is woefully unskilled with his left hand.
Tyrion makes a morbid joke of it, telling Jaime to imagine the look on Tywin’s face when Jaime dies: “Our family name snuffed out with a single swing of the sword.” Jaime suggests it’s tempting. Then Tyrion supposes Bronn will fight for him, but he’ll be in debt to him for the rest of his life when he wins. “If he wins,” Jaime notes. Tyrion asks Jaime to approach Bronn for him, and then asks who Cersei has named champion. He hopes it’s Meryn Trant, but Jaime informs him it isn’t Ser Meryn.
In a courtyard, a group of dirty, ragged men are held by gold cloaks as a shirtless Ser Gregor Clegane impales one of them and lifts his body clear over his head before tossing it aside. Cersei watches from the walls. Another pair of men are sent forward to where a pile of weapons are left on the ground. They take them up and one attacks, only to be disembowelled immediately. The other drops his weapon and begs for mercy, only for Ser Gregor to cut him down, and then bring his greatsword down several more times.
Cersei approaches, casually walking over the blood and guts and corpses. She addresses Ser Gregor, thanking him for coming to King’s Landing at her summons. The Mountain, blood spattered across his chest, asks who he’ll be fighting. Cersei asks if it matters, and Clegane shakes his head.
The Hound and Arya are riding when they come across a burnt-out hut. The Hound suggests there may be food to take, while Arya says there may be soldiers instead. What they find is a dying man, supine on the ground, holding his belly. Arya tells him he shouldn’t be sitting out here, but he replies wearily that there’s nowhere else to sit; he tried to walk back to his hut, but it hurt too much and he then remembered it was burned. The Hound asks who did it, and he replies that he doesn’t know, though they’d been raiding in the area for weeks.
As the Hound looks at the dying man’s wound, he shakes his head and says it won’t get better. Clegane asks if he’s had enough, and the villager for asks, “Of what?” Under Clegane’s stare, he admits he understands: yes, he’s had enough of suffering, but he hesitates. Arya doesn’t understand why he’s going on. The villager replies that it’s habit. “Nothing can be worse than this,” Arya replies. The man suggests nothing might be worse than dying.
Arya is disbelieving. She argues that nothing is nothing. He agrees, but is sad such a young girl believes such a thing. She asks who she is. Arya and Sandor exchange a look, and then she names herself as Arya Stark, but it means nothing to the villager. He looks to the Hound and asks if he’s her father, and Clegane admits he’s her captor taking her to her aunt to be ransomed. The villager supposes that’s a fair exchange, a concept he always believed in, a balance between one thing and another. But there’s no balance anymore, he remarks, and then groans from pain. He asks for a drink, as “dying is thirsty work” and the Hound gives him water; when the man wishes it were wine, the Hound concurs.
And then the Hound thrusts his dagger into the man’s heart. It’s quick and sudden, and the villager looks up to the Hound as his life comes to an end. He offers a weak nod of thanks, which the Hound returns. After a moment, Sandor points out that that’s where the heart is. Arya nods. They both look at the man…
.... when suddenly a man leaps up onto Sandor’s back, snarling like a beast. The Hound screams in pain and then suddenly grabs his head and twists it until it snaps. The body falls, and we see it’s Biter, the feral prisoner Arya rescued when the Lannisters attacked Yoren’s party. The Hound growls in pain, hands up at his neck when he turns and sees Rorge—Biter’s boon companion—with a sword drawn, watching dumbfounded. “The fuck you doing?!” the Hound shouts, and Rorge replies that there’s a price on Sandor’s head,
Sandor supposes he should have expected it, after having told Joffrey to fuck off. Rorge informs him that Joffrey’s dead, poisoned at his own wedding. Arya and the Hound exchange a look, but Rorge goes on to say that the bounty is for killing Lannister soldiers, a bounty worth 100 silver stags. The Hound sarcastically responds that Rorge thought he was going to collect it. Then Arya speaks up, identifying Rorge as Yoren’s former prisoner. She tells the Hound that he threatend to “fuck [her] bloody with a stick.”
Clegane asks if he’s on her list and she says no, as she doesn’t know his name. The Hound asks the thug his name, and he gives it. Arya thanks him—then neatly thrusts Needle straight through his heart. He falls dead, and the Hound tells Arya that she’s learning before walking away. She wipes Needle clean on his corpse, and follows Sandor.
At Castle Black, a horn sounds noting the return of rnagers. Jon leads Grenn, Edd, and the other survivor from the expedition against Craster’s Keep. Samwell greets Jon joyfully, embracing him, as other watchmen come up to welcome them back and congratulate them on their return. As Jon is greeted by Olly, Ser Alliser Thorne and Janos Slynt walk out. “Lord Snow,” Alliser calls, addressing Jon. The men fall silent, as Thorne tells Jon that the castle is not a place for a wild beast. He commands him to lock him away or he’ll have the cook Hobb include him in the stew. After a sullen look, Jon walks away and calls for the direwolf, who follows him.
Later, in the mess hall, Thorne and the other officers it at the high table while Jon informs them that the wildlings are getting closer—they could see their campfires in the distance as they left Craster’s Keep—and will be at the Wall before the next full moon. Slynt, unpleasant as always, is surprised that Jon didn’t ride over to say hellow to his “old friend”, Mance Rayder. Jon ignores the jibe and tries to tell them that they need to prepare, but Thorne notes they have been doing so. Then Jon explains the sort of preparation he needs: they need to seal the tunnel through the Wall.
The men of the Watch murmur at that, but Jon persists. When Thorne asks how they’ll range beyond the Wall then, Jon replies that they won’t. A few shout angrily at that, calling Jon a coward. Grenn speaks up when Thorne questions Jon, telling him that they can’t defend the gate from a hundred thousand men, but Thorne insists that that in thousands of years the Watch has never sealed the tunnel. Then Jon asks if Thorne has ever seen a giant. When Thorne remains silent, Jon explains that the tunnel won’t stop the giants. Thorne insists that the bars of those gate are four inch thick steel, and Jon agreees that they are… but they still won’t stop them.
Then Thorne asks what order Jon belongs to. After a moment’s silence, Jon grudgingly admits he belongs to the stewards. Thorne points out that it’s the builders whoare responsible for the tunnel, and then turns to First Builder Yarywck to question him whether he agrees with Jon Snow. Yarwyck, uncomfortable, looks between Jon and Thorne and then finally says, “No.”
And with that, Thorne mockingly suggests Jon can take his “deep knowledge of the wildling army” and join Samwell Tarly in being on night duty atop the Wall until the full moon. Some men laugh at that, as Thorne smiles unkindly. Jon’s about to speak with Samwell restrains him and makes him sit. Then Thorne turns to other business concerning taking a hundred barrels of pitch to the top of the Wall.
In King’s Landing, a visitor approaches Tyrion’s cell. Tyrion looks out through the window at whoever is passing by to his door, but can’t identify them from their clothing—some nobleman, he must suppose. But then the door opens, and Bronn enters, richly dressed. Bronn offers the Imp a courtier’s bow, and Tyrion remarks—with defeat in his voice—that Bronn has new clothes. Bronn flourishes his cape, showing off, and notes the gloves he had are “soft as a virgin’s thighs.”
Ignoring that, Tyrion points out he had sent for Bronn days ago. Bronn paces away and then turns to lean on a wooden pillar as he replies that his “lonesome bachelor days” are done, as he’s he’s been busy getting himself betrothed to Lollys Stokeworth who he’ll wed the day after next. Tyrion remarks that she doesn’t seem like Bronn’s sort of girl, and the former sellsword thinks he doesn’t have a single sort of girl. Tyrion points out Lollys is slow of wits, and Bronn rejoinders that if he wanted wits he’d marry Tyrion.
Then Tyrion states the obvious: when Cersei arranged this “love match”, did she mention to Bronn that Lollys has an older sister? He struggles to recall her name, and Bronn supplies it: Falyse. But Tyrion attempting to undermine Cersei’s efforts won’t work, as Bronn notes she’s forty and barren, and if she dies before her lord father Lollys will get the castle. Tyrion stares at Bronn, shocked, and Bronn casually offers that ladies fall from their horses and snap their necks all the time.
Disgusted, Tyrion replies that he and Cersei deserve each other. Then he asks why Bronn showed up. Bronn sits himself down on Tyrion’s cot and reminds him that Tyrion once said that he’d double the price of anyone who tried to buy him. “Is it two wives you want, or two castles?” Tyrion asks. Bronn says one of each will do… but it’d better be a very big castle if he wants him to kill the Mountain. Tyrion’s forced to admit that he hasn’t any castles, but he can offer gold and gratitude. Unfortunately, Bronn has gold, and he doesn’t know what gratitude can buy.
At that Tyrion says that he might be surprised, as Lannisters pay their debts… but alas, Bronn says Cersei is a Lannister too. Tyrion argues, however, that his wife is heir to Winterfell and that one day he may rule the North in her name if he survives this trial At that time, he could carve out a big piece of it for Bronn. “If and may and could,” Bronn responds, rejecting possibilities. It’s cold in the North, while Lollys is soft and warm and close. Tyrion starts to look desperate.
Bronn goes on say, suggesting that if Tyrion had the choice of fighting the Mountain or bedding Lollys, he’d have his breeches down before Bronn could blink. Tyrion wonders if Bronn’s so frightened by Gregor Clegane, and the former sellsword says he’d be a fool not to be frightened. Clegane’s “freakish big and freakish strong”, he notes, and faster than you’d expect for such a big man. As Tyrion stares, Bronn admits that maybe he could kill him, keeping his distance, tiring Clegane out until he can barely lift his sword and then get him off his feet somehow. But with a snap of his fingers to punctuate the point, he adds that one single misstep and he’s dead, just like that.
Bronn asks why he should risk it, and Tyrion responds with the final argument he has, “Because you’re my friend.” Bronn admits it… and then asks when Bronn’s ever risked his own life for Bronn? Tyrion has no answer. Bronn finally admits he likes Tyrion, but he likes himself more. Tyrion gives up, and nods his understanding. Bronn adds that he’s sorry that it has to end this way. Tyrion mordantly observes that he shouldn’t be sorry: Bronn being “an evil bastard with no consciecne and no heart” is what he liked about Bronn in the first place.
Tyrion offers his hand to Bronn then, not quite looking at him. Bronn says they’ve had some good days together, and Tyrion admits they did. But his grip on Bronn’s hand refuses to loosen, a sign of his terror of not having convinced Bronn to fight for him. Bronn pats Tyrion’s arm and pulls away, then bangs on the door to call for a guard. He asks Tyrion what he’ll do… and Tyrion replies that he’ll just have to kill the Mountain himself. “Won’t that make for a great song?” Bronn stares at Tyrion as a guard opens the door, and then says, “I hope to hear it someday.” A last bow, and he’s gone, leaving Tyrion alone in his cell.
At night, in the great pyramid of Meereen, Daenerys enters her chambers after a long day. She pauses as she turns the corner, then looks to the door before looking back: Daario Naharis is waiting for her, holding a bouquet of flowers. She asks how he got in there. He explains that the door’s well guarded, but the window is not. Exasperated, Daenerys goes into the room when he hands her the flowers. He explains he swam to an island a mile offshore to fetch them, but Daenerys shoves them back at him and tells him not to do that again.
Moving past him, she sets down something she was carrying on a table. He remarks that he’s never met a woman who doesn’t like wildflowers, but she retorts that these are her private quarters and that if she had wanted him there, she’d summon him. Daario turns to her to kneel down and ask forgiveness, saying that he lives to serve her. Daenerys sits upon a couch and regards him. She asks why he’s really present.
He admits he wanted to ask a favor of her. He indicates he has only two talents in the world: war and women. He calls her decision to rule in Meereen wise, and he respects it… but it means he can’t pursue his talents. Daenerys points out that she ordered the Second Sons to patrol the city and stop revenge killings. Daario interjects that he’s ordered them to become night’s watchmen, but Daenerys presses on and notes that when it comes to women… there are thousand in the city that Daario can pursue.
“There’s only one,” Daario replies, but she doesn’t want him. Daenerys regards him a moment, and then says he swore his sword to her. He stands by it, that it’s hers until the day he dies, and he confirms that he’ll stay in the city and patrol the streets when she asks what would happen if she ordered it. But he adds that he’d rather be sent to kill Daenerys’s her enemies—any enemy, anywhere—and let him do what he does best.
Daenerys stands then, and pours a cup of wine for herself. She tells him to do what he does best, as she sits back down, looking at him. She orders him to take off his clothes. Daario looks at her for a long moment, then smiles. Setting aside the flowers, he undresses slowly before her, as she watches shamelessly.
In Dragonstone, Selyse Baratheon enters Melisandre’s chambers only to stop at the door, finding Melisandre in her bath. She hesitates, until Melisandre invites her in. Selyse insists she didn’t mean to disturb Melisandre, and Melisandre says that her queen could never disturb her. Selyse presses on, saying she wished to speak to the priestess before they left Dragonstone. Melisandre looks over to a shelf and asks the queen to bring her a blue vial. Selyse does so, hesitantly, reaching for one…
Melisandre warns her away from it, telling her she wouldn’t even want to touch that one. She indicates more precisely, and Selyse grabs it and brings it to her. The priestess opens it and pours a few drops into the water, breathing deeply. Selyse looks to the brazier that burns to one side, and Melisandre then says that when she looked into the flames in the morning, the Lord of Light spoke to her. Selyse’s looks shows her eager to know what he said, and Melisandre states that he told her that tonight would be the last good bath she’d have in a long while.
She smiles, while Selyse seems ... not impressed. Melisandre admits it was a joke, but not a very good one. Selyse admits it was, but then says humor isn’t her strength. Melisandre believes that’s because most jokes are lies, and Selyse is devoted to the truth. The queen asks whether it’d be best to avoid them, if they’re lies, but Melisandre says not always. Then she rises naked out of her bath, and Selyse seems embarassed, looking sidelong at her.
Melisandre walks out toward the shelves and gestures to the powders and potions, telling her that most of them are lies, “deceptions to make men think they witnessed our Lord’s power.” She explains that once they’ve walked into the light of his worship, they’ll see it for what it was: a trick that led them to the truth. She notes how a pinch of one powder into a fire will send a column of flame up into the sky, how another creates a black smoke that terrifies even the bravest man, and a drop of one potion into a man’s wine will drive them wild with lust.
When she says that, Selyse’s gaze takes in Melisandre in her naked beauty, and asks if she used it on Stannis. “No,” Melisandre replies as she seals a bottle. Selyse looks crestfallen, and Melisandre understands. She approaches her, telling her not to be upset, that men never crave what they already have. “It’s only flesh,” she tells the queen as she cups her cheek. “It needs what it needs”.
Selyse stares at Melisandre, and then the priestess passes her by to put on a robe. Selyse says that no act done in service of the Lord of Light can be considered a sin, saying she thanks the god every day for bringing Melisandre to them, and Stannis to Melisandre. She turns and adds that Stannis wants to take Shireen with them when they leave Dragonstone. Shireen says that she doesn’t think it’s wise, that Shireen has “heretical tendencies”. She doesn’t know if Shireen’s doubts are real or simply to spite her mother, but Selyse believes Shireen should stay on Dragonstone.
Melisandre goes to her, taking her hands, and tells her she understands her feelings… but it’s impossible. Selyse is shocked to hear it and questions it. Melisandre explains that Selyse needs no powders, potions, or lies. She’s strong enough to look into the Lord’s light herself. She takes her to the brazier, to stare into the flames as she tells her that however harsh or hard to understand it is, Selyse doesn’t need her help… but Melisandre will need the queen’s help soon. She informs her that when they set sail, Shireen must be with them. “The Lord needs her,” she says.
The morning sun is in the sky in Meereen when a half-dressed Daario walks down the hall otuside of Daenerys’s chamber. He comes face to face with Ser Jorah Mormont. Mormont stares at him, and Naharis asks if he’s come to see the queen. Mormont remains silent, staring at him, so Naharis steps around him and pats him on the back as he tells him, “She’s in a good mood.” Mormont stares at Daenerys’s door, then the retreating figure of the sellsword, thoughtful.
In the chamber, Daenerys stands over a table, looking down at a map of Slaver’s Bay. She’s dressed in a new gown. Jorah enters and declares his presence. Daenerys remarks he’s there early, and he replies, “Later than some.” Daenerys knows his meaning. As he climbs the steps up to her, she states, “You don’t approve.” He replies it’s not a matter of approval, but one of trust. Daenerys responds defensively, saying he neither approves nor trusts.
Jorah explains that there’s no way he could, since Daario’s a sellsword. Daenerys fires back, asking if Jorah wasn’t a member of the Golden Company before he pledged his sword to Viserys. Ser Jorah admits it, and she then says that she trusts him. But Mormont notes Naharis killed the captains of the Second Sons, dumping their heads at her feet when he grew tired of following their orders. He asks how she could have faith in such a man.
As she rounds the table, finger brushing its edge, she has a simple retort: she can never have faith in a man like Daario Naharis. Ser Jorah looks at her, and nods, recognizing that she’s aware of the danger. But then she goes on and informs him that he’s commanded Daario to take the Second Sons to Yunkai. Jorah’s surprised. But then he notes that without Daenerys’s presence in Yunkai to rule it afterward, the Yunkish Masters will simply bide their time, waiting for the Second Sons to leave before reasserting control. That’s when Daenerys informs him of something else she ordered Daario to do: he’s to execute all the Masters he can find.
Mormont’s stunned, but Daenerys continues, talking of the various cruelties that the Masters have performed on their slaves to justify such extremes. “They treat men like beats, as you said yourself,” she finishes. Jorah argues that herding the Masters into pens and slaughtering them in the thouands is also treating men like beasts. He urges her to set an example for the slaves she freed, to eschew the brutality that was visited on them by the Masters.
Crossing her arms at his words, disbelieving his argument, she wonders if he means her to repay the Masters with kindness, fines, or stern warnings. Ser Jorah replies that it’s tempting to see enemies as evil, but there’s good and evil on all sides, in every war. Daenerys retorts that the priests can argue about good and evil. Slavery is real, and she will end it.
Jorah rounds the table, coming closer to her. “I sold men into slavery, khalessi,” he tells her. At that Daenerys goes up to him, putting a hand on his arm and telling him that now he’s helping her to show slaves their freedom. Jorah points out, however, that he wouldn’t be there to help her if Ned Stark had done to him what she wants to do to the Masters of Yunkai. Daenerys is left silent, considering that fact.
Then she asks about the man who came to her, asking about the burial of his father. Jorah replies his name is Hizdahr zo Loraq. Daenerys decides that he will accompany the Second Sons as an ambassador, to inform the Masters of what Daenerys has done in conquering Meereen and will explain that they have a choice. “They can live in my new world,” she says, “or they can die in their old one.”
Jorah’s pleased by her willingness to change her mind. She tells him to catch Daario before he leaves and inform him that she’s changed her mind. Jorah nods and starts to leave, and then on further consideration Daenerys tells him no. “Tell him you changed my mind,” she finishes. Jorah nods, and departs.
With their horses at pasture, Arya and Sandor Clegane sit by a bonfire. Arya cleans Needle, while the Hound curses repeatedly as he tries to sew up the wound on his neck and shoulder that Biter gave him. Arya tells him he’s doing it wrong, that he needs to burn away the worst of the flesh because otherwise it’ll become infested and fester. The Hound looks at it, and again resumes trying to stitch it closed. Arya says she knows he doesn’t like fire, and tries to say more but he insists no fire. She puts Needle aside and pushes off, moving to the bonfire to grab a burning piecing of wood, telling him it’ll only take a second.
“No fire!” Clegane roars, standing and back pedalling from her. They stare at one another, and then Arya turns and goes back to her place, dropping the burning wood. The Hound tells her to shut up about it, about everything. “Thanks to you I’m a walking bag of silver anywhere the Lannister’s hold sway,” he tells her angrily, and that’s everywhere between where they are and where they’re going. He tells her he’s as stupid as “that hog”, Rorge, that she stabbed in the village. He sits, complaining about being stabbed, cut, and bitten because of her, that no reward is worth so much trouble. Arya just continues cleaning the blade, until he adds that he wishes he’d never laid eyes on her; she looks at him then.
After a moment, the Hound says she claims her brother gave her the sword. She looks at him, silent, when he then points out that his brother gave him the scars on his face. He goes on to explain that it was just as Arya said: Gregor pressed him to the fire like he was a mutton chop, holding his face as it burned. Arya asks why, and the Hound—still outraged over all these years—says hit was because Gregor thought he stole of his toys, and quickly says he didnt’ steal it, he just wanted to play with it.”
After a moment’s more silence, he explains the pain was bad, but the smell was worse. He adds, however, that the worse thing was that it was his own brother that did it. He explains his father protected Gregor, telling everyone that the Hound’s bedding caught fire. “You think you’re on your own?” the Hound says, turning to look at her. Arya finally offers to at least wash the wound out and sew it up. She pours water over the wound, and then takes up the needle.
In an inn, a servant places a pie on a table as Brienne tells Podrick that they can treat themselves to a bit of comfort after having slept in ditches the last few weeks. She tells Podrick they’ll have feather beds for the night, and a hot meal not cooked by Podrick. Pod couldn’t agree more. As she tucks into the pie, Brienne adds that he shouldn’t hope for silk underclothes, however; he’s not working for his former lord any longer. As the servant who brought the pie now pours a drink for Brienne, Brienne reaches out and takes the cup Podrick is drinking from, warning him not to get drunk.
When the servant’s done pouring, he asks if he can get them anything else and Brienne thanks him, saying the kidney pie is wonderful. The servant thanks her, and we see that it’s Hot Pie, last seen in this very inn when the brotherhood without banners left him there. Hot Pie explains he does his best, and then to their surprise takes up a bench and joins them at the table to explain what it takes to make a good kidney pie. The two look at one another, and resume eating, as Hot Pie chatters on.
The two hope that silence will lead him to go away, but no such luck. Hot Pie notices Brienne’s armor and compliments it, then asks if she’s a knight. She stops eating a moment and then, staring at him, says no. Hot Pie says, “Oh.” Then he adds that people with armor are usually knights. He does suppose they’re from King’s Landing, however; he’s from Flea Bottom himself, born and bred. He wonders why they’re there, and Brienne responds that they’re looking for someone. Hot Pie wonders if they’re looking for someone in particular, because he might be able to help. He starts to say that many people stop by the inn, and that just the other day—
Brienne cuts him off, rattling out a curt description of Sansa Stark. Hot Pie stares at her, and then asks, “Starks? Like them lot from Winterhell?” They stare at him, and then he stands up and says that he heard they were traitors, and they want no traitors at the inn. He starts to leave when Brienne says that she swore her life to Catelyn Stark, and that she swore she’d bring her mothers home. Hot Pie considers that, and then asks if they want more kidney pie.
Leaving the inn, Podrick joins Brienne as she saddles her horse. Brienne looks at Podrick’s demeanor, and asks what it is. He explains he doesn’t want to offend—she replies he’s not interesting enough to be offensive—and he then says that the Lannisters want Lady Sansa, that the Lannisters have money, and that people will kill for money. He concludes that they should not be so free with telling people that they’re looking for Sansa.
Just then, Hot Pie exits the inn with a wrapped bundle in hand. He calls their attention and explains that Brienne looks like a proper lady who can be trusted. There’s a hesitation, and then he expalins that he’s never met Sansa Stark, but he did know her sister, Arya. Brienne and Podrick are both flummoxed. Brienne points out that no one has seen Arya since her father was executed, and is presumed dead. Hot Pie replies that she was alive when he saw her last, heading up north to the Wall while dressed up as a boy and calling herself Arry.
Brienne asks what happened to her, and Hot Pie begins to launch into the whole story when Brienne calls for the quick version. Hot Pie briefly sketches out the way they were taken prisoner by the Lannisters, then the brotherhood, the latter of which who “sold” him to the innkeep and planned to sell Arya to Lady Catelyn at Riverrun. He adds they had another prisoner, a big ugly man with a foul mouth and a face like a “half-burnt ham”. Podrick identifies the Hound from the description.
Hot Pie then asks them to give her a gift from him, if they find Arya. He hands the bundle over, and Brienne unwraps it, revealing a very well-made piece of bread shaped like a wolf; it’s far better than the one he gave to Arya months previously. Hot Pie says she liked the last one, and this one’s better. He then leaves.
Brienne gives Podrick a look, and says, “You were saying?” Later, they walk down the road and Brienne considers the news. With Robb and Catelyn dead, and Walder Frey the new lord of Riverrun, the brotherhood would have to take Arya somewhere else if they hoped to profit. Podrick speculates that they’d take her to the Eyrie. When Brienne wonders why, Pod points out that Sansa’s only living relative with any money, Lysa Arryn, lives there. He notes Lord Tyrion made sure that Podrick learned about marriages between notable houses, and who were enemies and who were friends.
Brienne considers that, and then muses that Sansa might be there too. Podrick admits that it’s possible. Coming to a fork in the road, Brienne asks Podrick if he’s sure or not. She looks at him… and then takes the road to the right, heading towards the Vale.
A door opens in Tyrion’s cell, and Oberyn Martell enters carrying a torch. Tyrion remarks that he’d have thought Oberyn would be at the brothel at this hour. Oberyn approaches and notes that he did spend some time with a “stunning blond” the other day. Tyrion asks him to tell, as there’s all kinds of filth in his cell except the kind he likes. “Your sister,” Oberyn explains, setting the torch in a sconce. Tyrion sighs at that. Oberyn then pulls a bench from the wall and sits.
He points out that the queen approached him, speaking a great deal about her daughter and was trying very hard to pretend she hadn’t approached him to sway him against Tyrion. He thinks she might even believe it. Tyrion responds wearily, that one of Cersei’s gifts is making honest feelings do dishonest work. Oberyn goes on to say that it’s “rare to meet a Lannister who shares my enthusiasm for dead Lannisters.” When he notes that she desperately wants Tyrion dead, Tyrion replies that Tyrion seems to have arranged that very well for himself. He finishes by saying that Cersei’s wanted it for a long time.
The prince replies that he knows, that he and Oberyn met many years ago. Tyrion does not remember it, but Oberyn replies that Tyrion had just been born. He states that his father had brought him and Elia to Casterly Rock. He goes on to say that he did not like anything about it—the food, the women, the weather, the accents—but that Tyrion was the biggest disappointment. All the way to Casterly Rock, they heard tales of the monster that had been born to Tywin Lannister, a monster with a huge head, a tail, claws, a red eye, and the private parts of both a girl and a boy.
Tyrion quips that that last would have made things so much easier. Oberyn explains that when they met Cersei, she promised she’d show Tyrion to them. “Soon,” she’d say whenever they asked. Finally, one day, she and Jaime took her to the nursery. Dramatically, he mimes her unveiling “the freak”. And Oberyn explains their disappointment, because Tyrion’s head was only a little too large, his arms and legs only a little too short, no claws, no red eye, no tail (“Just a tiny pink cock”). They did not hide their disappointment, either, as Oberyn told Cersei that it was no monster, just a baby.
Cersei replied that Tyrion killed her mother, and proceeded to pinch Tyrion’s penis so hard that Oberyn thought she would pull it off until Jaime made her stop. Telling them it didn’t matter, that everyone said Tyrion would die soon and that he shouldn’t have lived as long as he had. Learning this hurts, and Tyrion’s emotional when he finally speaks. “Sooner or later, Cersei always gets what she wants.”
A silence, and then Prince Oberyn asks, “But what about what I want? Justice for my sister and her children?” Tyrion, still shaken by the tale Oberyn told, tells him that if he wants justice he’s come to the wrong place. Oberyn stands up, packing back to where he left his torch, and then turns. Oberyn disagrees, however: he’s come to perfect place; he wants to bring those who’ve wronged him to justice, and all those who have wronged him are in King’s Landing. He will begin with Ser Gregor Clegane, who killed Elia’s children and raped her before killing her as well.
He takes the torch in hand, and tells Tyrion that he will be his champion. Tyrion is overwhelmed by this.
The garden of the Eyrie is dusted with snow, as flakes of snow fall from the sky. Sansa steps out into it, and gasps in wonder… and perhaps, a little, in memory of Winterfell. When we see her next, she is trying to finish a snow castle made after Winterfell. Robin Arryn enters and Sansa greets him. The young Lord of the Eyrie asks what she’s doing, and she explains she’s building her home, Winterfell. Or, at least, she thinks she is—it’s been so long that she isn’t sure she remembers all of it. When Robin asks why she left, she responds that it’s a long story. Robin considers that and then informs her he stays at the Eyrie. His Mother tells him it’s dangerous everywhere else, and because he’s Lord of the Vale he’s very important.
Sansa smiles and nods her head in agreement, as she uses a stick to shape the snow. When Robin asks when Sansa will go back to Winterfell, she says she likely never will—her family isn’t there any longer, and someone burned the castle. Robin stares at the castle a bit longer, and then asks if Winterfell has a Moon Door. Sansa notes that Winterfell is down on the ground, not in the mountains. Robin thinks that dangerous, and then asks how they make people fly, to punish the bad people, the scary people, and those you don’t like. Sansa replies that they don’t make them fly, but she was never took part in dealing punishments, it wasn’t something girls did at Winterfell.
She’s thoughtful after she says it, but Robin presses on saying that when he’s in his majority, he’ll properly be able to make anyone who bothers him fly. And then he eagerly adds that she could do it, too, when they marry; she can tell him she doesn’t like someone, and they can make him fly. Sansa considers that, and then says she likes the sound of it. Robin proposes placing a Moon Door in her Winterfell snow castle, and she agrees. He picks out the tallest tower and starts to point it out… but in his eagerness, and clumsiness, his gesture knocks it half over just as Sansa tries to warn him to be careful.
An annoyed Sansa tells him he ruined it, and she’ll have to redo it all over again. Robin stands, and Sansa follows. Robin protests that it was already ruined since it didn’t have a Moon Door. The argument escalates, as Robin shouts he didn’t ruin it and Sansa says he’s being stupid. One last scream of, “I didn’t ruin it!” and Robin begins to furiously kick at the snow castle. He looks at her, then gives it one last stomp. A moment after, Sansa slaps him full across the face. Robin is shocked, and runs away. Sansa tries to call to him, tries to apologize, but he’s gone.
Then a voice speaks: “Children.” Sansa turns, surprised, and sees Littlefinger approaching down some steps. Sansa notes she hit him, and he admits he saw it. Shaken, Sansa says she shouldn’t have done it. “No. His mother should have, a long time ago,” he replies. He suggests she consider it a step in the right direction. He then reassures her that he’ll take care of Lysa if he tells his mother.
She stares down at the ruined snow castle, and then sadly says she had tried to remember what it looked like. She’ll never see it again, she supposes. Baelish tells her that much can happen between “now and never”. He comes closer and informs her that to build a better home, you must demolish the old one. Sansa suddenly asks why he really killed Joffrey. The real reason. Littlefinger is silent a moment, and then answers that he loved her mother more than she can know. “Given the opportunity, what do we do to those who hurt the ones we love?” he asks. Sansa stares silently at him, and then a faint smile appears on her lips.
Littlefinger takes a step closer, and tells her that in a better world—one where love was stronger than duty and power—Sansa might have been his child. But they don’t live in that world, he says. He stares at her, and then looks down. He takes a few strands of her hair in hand, eyeing it. He tells her she’s more beautiful than Catelyn ever was. Sansa starts to speak, saying, “Lord Baelish.” “Call me Petyr,” he replies, and taking her face in his hands he kisses her full on the lips. As the camera glides up, we see that Lysa Arryn is watching from a balcony.
Later that day, Sansa enters the high hall of the Eyrie with trepidation—there are no guards, servants, or attendants on hand. Just her… and Lysa, who stands by the open Moon Door. Lysa calls Sansa over. They look down, and Lysa asks if Sansa knows how far down it is to the valley floor. Sansa says she doesn’t, and Lysa admits she doesn’t know precisely either, but it must be hundreds of feet. Then she describes what happens to bodies that hit the rocks from, how the impact rips their bodies apart but that sometimes a body part remains intact—a head could be off somewhere at a distance, “every hair in place, blue eyes staring at nothing.”
Sansa—whose eyes are blue—looks down. After a long silence, Lysa—without looking at her says she knows what she did. Sansa is immediately apologetic for having hit Robin, starts to promise that she’ll never do it again. But Lysa rounds on her and in a raised voice tells Sansa not to be coy with her, and calls her “little whore”. And then she accuses her of a far graver matter: “You kissed him. You kissed Petyr.” Sansa tries to deny that she chose to kiss him when Lysa grabs her wrists with furious strength and tells her that she saw it with her own eyes. Sansa, frightened, tries to tell her that Petyr kissed her and she tried to pull away.
But Lysa won’t hear it. Screaming that she’s a liar and whore, she grabs Sansa by the hair and pulls her down, leaning over the Moon Door. Sansa is terrified, begging, as Lysa insists that Petyr is hers. She rants about how her father, husband, and sister stood between them, and now they’re dead. “That’s what happens to people who stand between Petyr and me!” she raves. She starts to scream hysterically, telling Sansa to look down again and again.
Then Petyr calls, “Lysa!” Standing at the door, he tells her to let Sansa go, but Lysa is hysterical. She demands to know if he wants Sansa, “this empty-headed child.” Lysa says she’s just like her mother and will never love Petyr. “I’ve lied for you, I’ve killed for you,” Lysa insists, and demands to know why Petyr brought Sansa. Littlefinger swears on his life that he’ll send Sansa away if she’ll let Sansa go.
Lysa breaks down weeping, and pushes Sansa aside. Sansa falls to the floor, while Lysa sobs on the edge of the Moon Door. Littlefinger goes to her, reassuring her, calling her his silly, sweet wife He helps her to her feet. “I have loved only one woman,” he reassures Lysa, and her sobs still, and she smiles with happiness.
“Your sister,” he says. Her expression falls… and so does she, because with a short, sharp shove he sends her plummeting through the Moon Door. Her screams can be heard growing fainter and fainter… and then there’s simply a small bloom of dark red far below on the valley floor.
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